Wit Movie

1.  Lighting: The hospital lighting was very bright most of the time.  There was a scene that was dim when Susie was talking to Vivian about whether or not to resuscitate her if her heart stops.  Other than that, most of the hospital scenes had very bright lights. 

2.     Music: There was a little bit of violin playing at the beginning.  After that most of the music was just piano music.  Often times the music would continue for extended periods of time in the play or for entire scenes. 

3.     Sets and costumes: For most of the play the all the main characters are in hospital clothing.  They are only not in these clothes when there are flashbacks and even in these cases sometimes they are shown as their currents selves in the hospital. 

4.     Acting: The acting was very natural. Nothing seemed forced. The only thing that was out of the ordinary was how Vivian, as the narrator, is always talking at the camera.  This gave it a different feel to have the fourth wall broken all throughout the film.

5.     Camera work: There are a lot of close up.  Most of the camera shots only included one person in the shot, and it was often a close up of their face.  The transitions were often very choppy and they switched from one face to another very quickly. 

6.     Narrator: The narrator is very important in the play Wit, because it is one of those rare occasions when a drama does have a narrator.  Just as much of the play is narrated as is acted out as dialogue. 

7.     Character of Vivian: While reading the book, Vivian seemed really distant, but she seemed a lot different when watching the play.  She seems really relaxed about her situation excluding a couple episodes where she breaks down. 

8.     Language: There is a lot of medical language used. There is also a lot of poetry quoted.  When Vivian speaks, she definitely sounds like a scholar and sounds different than any one else in the film.

9.     Jason: He comes across as being very smart, but a little bit young and naïve.  He knows a lot about medicine, but when it comes to working with people, and doing the logistical parts of the job, he seems to struggle.  He doesn’t seem very personable throughout the film, and he makes the mistake of trying to revive Vivian when her heart stops. Jason can also see herself a little bit in Jason.  He is focused on the scholarly side of things more than on people.

10.    Plot: There really isn’t much of a plot.  The whole thing is essentially just conversations taking place in the hospital, and at the end Vivian dies.  Most of the play is just Vivian talking at the camera.

I could talk about how Vivian learns a lot about herself by watching the other characters of the play, especially Jason and Susie.  While there isn’t much of a plot, Vivian tells you a lot of the things that she comes to understand while she is at the hospital.  She makes some realizations while staying there, because she watches the other characters.

1. The relationship between Jason and Vivian shows how people are naturally selfish and oblivious to the needs of others until they are forced otherwise.

2. The repeated use of the phrase "How are you feeling?' by Jason and Vivian is an illustration of how people's level of sincerity is effected by their life situation.

3. The bright and dim lighting of the film shows how sincerity is on a personal and not public level.